Charlotte Convention not so ‘Transparent’

Democrats who pledged to deliver the most transparent and open national political convention in history when Barack Obama’s reelection ceremony comes to Charlotte in September have shut their doors to the public and press.

The Observer and other media were sent a news release hours after the meeting, which was mostly a guided tour of the various upcoming Democratic National Convention venues — including Time Warner Cable Arena and Bank of America Stadium. …

Host committee spokeswoman Suzi Emmerling said all host/steering committees are closed and that Charlotte in 2012 has been more forthcoming than its counterpart in Tampa, where the Republicans will hold their convention at the end of August.

But a report Wednesday from Tampa said that city's mayor, Democrat Bob Buckhorn, will host three town hall meetings in August to discuss the impact the GOP convention will have on residents and businesses. Nobody's calling that convention the most open and accessible ever, but the mayor's town hall meetings are expected to be open, not closed.